Please Come Home For Christmas
by NYR88
Summary: AU Jate. Jack and Kate are married. Jack is believed dead in a plane crash. This is atory about undying love, Christmas miracles and everything fairy tale.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: 'Tis the season and I was in a fluffy Jate mood. Since my current story didn't quite lend itself to that kind of chapter right now I thought I'd deviate for a little bit and kick out this short Christmas story, though a few days late. It's an AU setting and there is some angst and some fluff – hope you guys like it.**

**And just know that this originally started as a two part one shot….but it sort of grew and took on a fuller life. But it is shorter than my other story and it is finished. I'll post the rest if you guys are wanting.**

*** * * * * ***

"Hey, sweetie" Kate Shepard cooed as she reached down and slipped her hands under the infant in the crib in front of her. Gently she lifted her fussy son, Sammy, to her shoulder and patted his back in an attempt to soothe the child. "What's wrong, huh? Why are you so restless?" She softly bounced the two month old as she paced the room.

It was Christmas Eve morning, Sammy's first, but Kate couldn't say she was really thrilled about it. Not when her husband, Jack, wasn't there to share it with them. It had been almost three months since his disappearance while on a trip from Australia. His chartered plane had gone down and while only part of the wreckage had been recovered Jack hadn't been found. Authorities had told the families that it was almost impossible that there would have been any survivors, but Kate had refused to believe that. She didn't believe Jack was dead because she didn't feel it, not in her soul.

When she had met the handsome, young doctor, at a charity function, the attraction had been almost instantaneous. They had spent the night stealing dances and flirting until their dates became upset. Kate chuckled to herself as she remembered how her date had abruptly left the party telling her she could find her own way home. Jack was only too happy to provide her the ride after his own date had stormed off in a jealous snit. From that point on they were together and were married a year later. Now here she stood a widow, in other's eyes, with a baby to raise.

"He'll come back to us, sweet pea," She whispered to her son. "He promised me a lifetime and Jack always keeps his promises."

A soft knock on the door broke her thoughts and she turned to see her step mother, Jeanine, come into the room. An attractive woman with short strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes, Jeanine had been married to Sam Austen for six years now. She and Kate had always gotten along, but they had grown closer since the plane crash.

"Kate, your in-laws are here." Jeanine told her with a small smile.

The brunette nodded as she shift the baby in her arms. "Has dad called yet?"

The older woman shook her head. "Not yet."

Sam had left on a trip over a week ago and Kate had no idea where he had gone or what he was doing. Given his career in the military it hadn't been unusual for him to take missions and not be able to share any details with his family, but in the last few years his assignments had been more in recruitment and training and not missions overseas.

"Do you think he'll make it back by Christmas?" Kate asked softly. It was hard enough facing this holiday without her husband, but adding Sam to that list would make it even harder.

Jeanine reached out and rubbed the baby's head in affection. "I hope so. I'm sure he'll do everything he can to get back here."

Kate nodded but didn't reply. Instead she made her way out of the room and down the stairs to greet Jack's parents, Christian and Margo Shepard.

"Come on, Sammy, let's go see Grandma and Grandpa." She kissed the side of his head and walked downstairs with Jeanine following behind.

She found Jack's parents sitting in the comfortably decorated living room making small talk with her mother, Diane. In the corner was a pretty decorated tree and a few presents already underneath.

Spotting Kate walk in Christian stood up and greeted her with a smile. "Good Morning."

"Good Morning, Christian…Margo." She replied. "I thought you were coming over tonight…for dinner."

Christian glanced at his wife with a nod. "Well, we wanted to just stop by and see how…you and Sammy were doing."

"We're fine. He's a little fussy today."

Margo stood up and made her way over to the young woman. "Is he?" She said, concern in her voice. "He's not coming down with anything, is he? An ear ache?"

"I don't think so," Kate replied as the infant starting fussing again. "He doesn't have a fever. He's just a little restless."

"May I?" Margo held her hands indicating she wanted to hold the baby. Kate nodded and transferred the baby to her arms.

"So, how are you holding up?" Christian asked Kate as she sat in the recliner leaving Margo and Jeanine to fuss over Sammy.

"Fine. I finished up the rest of my shopping and I just need to wrap some final gifts I got for Sammy."

"Honey, you know that nobody would blame you if you just wanted to keep things low key…maybe even skip the holiday."

Kate looked at her father in law in surprise. "This is Sammy's first Christmas. We can't skip it. Jack wouldn't want me too."

"I know, but under the circumstances…well, Sammy's just a baby, he won't know…"

"But I would know…" Kate replied, not in the mood to rehash this discussion. Both his parents and her mother had already talked to her about this before. Her father had been the one that supported the idea of keeping things normal and go forward with celebrating. "This is Sammy's first Christmas…we'll never get that back…and I want to have pictures and stuff…." She trailed off the sentence but Christian knew what she was going to say.

"Kate, I know that things have been hard…and you need time to grieve…"

"Don't." Kate warned.

"Kate…" Diane spoke up quickly. "He's just looking out for you…we all are."

Looking at her mother with a disappointed look, Kate shook her head. "By trying to make me believe something I don't?"

"Katherine…"

"Jack's not dead." She said firmly. "And you can't make me believe otherwise."

_**Ten days earlier: **_

"_Are you sure?" Sam spoke into his cell phone as his wife walked into their den. "Well, how old is the intell? Did they find any markings?" He nodded his head as he took in the information on the other end. "Okay, alright, sounds promising. Yeah, I can be on a flight tonight. Just let me make the arrangements and I'll get back to you." He snapped the phone shut and turned to face Jeanine._

"_Something going on?"_

_Sam debated for a moment whether telling her what he had learned would be wise. He finally decided to fill her in only on the fact that he was leaving, hoping she would assme it was another mission and not ask any real questions. "I'm going on a trip…out of the country."_

"_What? Now? Sam, it's almost Christmas." She protested._

"_I know, I know. And I wouldn't go if it wasn't important." He replied as he made his way to the closet to pull out his duffle bag. _

"_Sam, what's going on?" Jeanine asked, knowing her husband well enough to realize he was holding something back._

"_It's a mission, honey." He said trying to dismiss her inquiry._

"_Samuel Austen…" Jeanine stood with her hands on her hips ready for a fight. "What is going on?"_

_Sam let out a sigh as he dropped the duffle bag on the bed. He should have guessed she wouldn't give up. She was too stubborn. Sitting on the edge of the bed he patted the empty spot next to him. "We may have found Jack."_

**Present time:**

"Christian, it's Christmas, "Margo said as she rocked Sammy in her arms. He looked so much like Jack had at that age, it was making her wish for a chance to go back in time. "Can you just drop this?"

"I'm not trying to start anything," Christian replied defensively. "I was just trying to say it wasn't expected that Kate do all this."

Kate looked over at her mother to see if she would say anything and realized that she was in the same mindset as Christian. _'Great, she's in on this too.'_ She thought to herself. She wasn't in the mood to argue and she certainly didn't want any tension hovering between them for the next couple of days.

"Can we just change the subject?" Kate asked. "I appreciate your concern, but I don't want to fight. Can I get you some coffee or something to drink?"

Christian shook his head. "No, we actually just stopped by for a bit. We're meeting some friends for brunch."

"Oh, okay."

"Kate, where is your father?" Margo asked hoping to cut some of the tension.

Exchanging a glance with Jeanine Kate shrugged her shoulders. "He had a mission come up last week."

"A mission? I thought he was done with those assignments." Christian countered in a surprise tone.

"We all did." Diane added as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Jeanine gave Diane a look before addressing Dr. Shepard. "This mission is very important to him. He's hoping to retrieve something special."

_**Ten days earlier – Midnight**_

"_Sam, I still don't know why you didn't tell Kate what you're doing. She would want to know." Jeanine told him as they were driving to the military base so Sam could catch his flight out. _

"_Because I don't want to give her false hope, Jean. You know that this information is still rather sketchy. All Cronan found out is that there could be…could be a couple of survivors from Jack's flight. And one is thought to be a white man around Jack's age." _

_Sam told her._

"_Isn't that enough?" Jeanine asked. "I mean, it was a small plane. There weren't that many people on it."_

"_But there were at least 6 men that could fit that description. I don't want to get Katie's hopes up. She's already clinging to the idea that he's still out there somewhere."_

"_Do you think she's wrong?"_

_Sam shook his head. "I've been around those two enough to know there's some sort of deep connection between them...something special.. If she's telling me that she doesn't feel he's gone, then I'm taking it on good faith he's alive and out there somewhere." He replied as he pulled the car into the hanger's parking lot. _

"_I hope you're right.'' _

"_Me too."_

**Present time:**

Kate sat in the kitchen reading the paper while her mother was rocking Sammy trying to get him to sleep. Christian and Margo had left a few minutes ago and Jeanine had excused herself to call her daughter in Denver.

"Are you sure he's not getting an ear ache?" Diane asked as she draped the infant over her shoulder and patted his back.

"He doesn't seem to be. He's just acting up. I'm sure he'll be better after a nap." Kate told her without looking up from the paper.

"You're mad at me aren't you?" Diane surmised.

"You didn't need to take his side, did you?"

Diane pursed her lips. "Honey, he has a point. It's been three months."

Kate pulled the paper down to the table. "And what, I'm just supposed to give up on him? Just like that? Even when I don't feel that he's…gone?" She demanded angrily.

"Katherine, you need to be realistic…"

"I am being realistic, mom. You just don't agree with me and you're trying to force me to think your way." She shot back. "Why can't you believe in me? Why can't you be more supportive like dad?"

Diane bristled at her daughter's comment. Kate was a daddy's girl…always had been, always would be. "And where exactly is your father? Shouldn't he be here with you and Sammy?" At this point Sammy decided to start crying.

Kate jumped up and took him from her mother's arms and trying soothing him. "Dad will be here if he can." She started to walk out of the kitchen when her mother stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Katherine, please, let's not do this. It's Christmas, honey. We should be coming together, not fighting." She pleaded with her daughter. "Please?"

"Okay," Kate replied softly. "I'm going to go put him down." She added before leaving the room just as Jeanine walked in.

Looking at Diane confused Jeanine asked, "Is everything okay?"

Diane waited until Kate had left the room before answering. "She's still determined that Jack is alive somewhere out there."

"I know."

"You and Sam aren't helping with this, you know." Diane told her as she poured herself another cup of coffee.

"Meaning what?" Jeanine shot back.

"Encouraging her in this instead of trying to help her come to terms with it."

"We're being supportive of Kate and her needs."

Diane squared off on the slightly taller woman. "Oh really? Do you think this is being supportive? Jack is dead and the sooner Kate accepts that, the sooner she can move forward."

Jeanine started to say something, but bit her tongue. She had promised Sam that she wouldn't say anything to anyone until she heard from him. As much as she felt Diane was being harsh about the situation, she knew that in a way the other woman was right. If Sam's information was wrong and Jack was in fact gone, Kate would have to come to terms with it sooner rather than later…if only for Sammy's sake.

_**8 days earlier – in Sydney, Australia:**_

"_Sgt. Austen, here are the photos that you and Lt. Cronan are waiting for." The young Private offered Sam a manila envelope. _

_Sam pulled out the contents and studied the photos. He had finally arrived in Sydney earlier that morning and had spent his time being briefed and studying maps and arial photos. He was waiting for the rest of his team to arrive. While his connections with the military had gotten him this far, it was going to be up to him to follow up this lead. Lt. Cronan, currently with the 76__th__ Ranger Battalion had been granted limited authority to act. They could do a rescue mission, but there had to be evidence there was someone to rescue. So far, it was all unsubstantiated rumors. So Sam had contacted four of his retired Rangers and hired them to help him in his search for his son-in-law. The men had eagerly agreed to help._

"_Did you find anything more from your contact?" Sam asked as he flipped through the photos. _

"_Only what I've already told you." Brett Cronan replied. "This guy didn't spend much time in the village. Only heard some chatter about an injuried man and caught a glimpse of a woman that appeared to be white."_

"_He didn't ask?"_

"_Wasn't his business to ask, at least that's how he's looking at it." Brett replied. "He was more interested in scrapping out the metal from the plane wreckage."_

"_But you identified it as part of the wreckage of 815?" Sam asked._

_Brett nodded. "Yes sir. But where he found it was almost a hundred miles from the closest village. I can't imagine if anybody was injured in the crash they would have made it to the village on their own. They would have had help."_

"_Which means someone knows something." Sam theorized. "As soon as the rest of the guys get here we should get going. How far out is this island where the village is located?"_

"_About a thousand miles south of Sydney," Brett replied. "It'll take you a day of traveling to get there."_

"_Then the sooner we leave the better, huh?" Sam shoved the pictures back in the envelope for later reference._

"_I hope this works out for you, sir." Brett replied._

"_Yeah, me too, Lieutenant, me too. I've got a daughter and grandson counting on me."_

**Present time:**

Kate had taken Sammy into her bedroom instead of the nursery and laid down on the bed, both of them falling asleep for a couple of hours. When she woke up later it was quiet and Sammy appeared to be dozing, his eyes barely open. Without waking the baby she reached over and turned on the radio. Christmas music softly filled the room.

_Bells will be ringing this sad sad news  
Oh what a Christmas to have the blues  
My baby's gone I have no friends  
To wish me greetings once again_

_  
Choirs will be singing Silent Night  
Christmas carols by candlelight  
Please come home for Christmas  
Please come home for Christmas  
If not for Christmas by New Years night  
_

_Friends and relations send salutations  
Sure as the stars shine above  
But this is Christmas yes it's Christmas my dear  
The time of year to be with the one you love  
So won't you tell me you'll never more roam  
Christmas and new Years will find you home  
There'll be no more sorrow no grief and pain  
And I'll be happy, happy once again  
Oh there'll be no more sorrow, no grief and pain  
And I'll be happy, Christmas once again_

Kate felt a tear trickle down as she listened to the song sung by the Eagles. It had been a favorite of hers, but now the lyrics seem to hit so close to home. This was supposed to be their first Christmas as a family, but instead Jack was out there somewhere, badly injured or something else keeping him from getting back to her.

She looked down at their son and gently rubbed his head. "We just have to keep the faith." She wiped at the tears on her cheeks. "Make this a good Christmas for you because it's what your daddy would expect me to do."

As Sammy went back to sleep Kate slipped off the bed and picked him up. With a few cooing noises she walked him back to the nursery and laid him in this crib pulling a blanket over his tiny feet. "Sweet dreams, sweet pea." She whispered before returning to the living room.

"Did you have a good nap?" Jeanine asked, looking up from a television show she was watching.

"Yeah, where's mom?"

"In the kitchen working on dinner." Jeanine replied. "I offered to help, but she told me she's got it under control."

"Mom's not to keen on sharing the kitchen once she's laid claim to it." Kate laughed as she sat down to join her stepmother. "What are you watching?"

"A Christmas Story."

"Oh my gosh, Jack and I love this movie." Kate replied with a smile. "Especially the part where he gets the leg lamp."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to those of you who took the time to drop a line or two letting me know what you think. Tahti, especially, loved your insight and feedback – Thank You!!! Sorry, I made you wait – wasn't really the plan – but I was out of commission sick for a couple of days and not even looking in the direction of my laptop. Anyway, here's the next part….Again, reviews are most welcomed!!!**

_**Six days before:**_

_Sam and his crew had traveled from Sydney by plane and boat and had finally made it to the small island with no known name that inhabited a few small villages. They were loaded up with equipment and supplies and trudging their way through the jungle following the directions and coordinates given to them by Lt. Cronan. Along with Sam, was retired Master Sergeant Ed Hopkins, retired Sgt. Bill Taylor, retired Sgt. Larry Carson and retired Capt. Kevin Torrealba; all more than skilled to back Sam up on this mission._

_On their second day of the trek they came across a trio of men carrying side arms who greeted them in a cautious manner._

_Sam quickly stepped forward. "We're not hostile." He said quickly. "We're just here looking for someone."_

_One of the men, with a scraggly beard, eyed Sam suspiciously. "Out here? Who?"_

"_A young man…he was in a plane crash and we were told he might be in the area." Sam said quickly as he pulled a picture of Jack out of his pack and showed it to the men._

_The bearded man looked at it, his face registering that he was familiar with the man in the photo._

"_Have you seen him?" Sam asked knowing the answer._

"_Who's he to you?" _

_Glancing at his team Sam decided not to give the stranger more information then he needed to know. "We're looking for survivors of the plane crash."_

_The bearded man looked at his two friends and for a moment it looked to Sam like they were having a silent conversation. "You know, we don't normally get any visitors way out here." He commented changing the subject._

"_No, I can't imagine that you do." _

"_Yeah, it's a pretty rough trip getting out here…especially when only limited people know about this place. Figure anyone who does make the trip is looking for something or someone special…"_

_Sam let out a sigh. He knew the man had won this little cat and mouse game. "I'm looking for my son in law…Jack Shepard. Can you help me?"_

**Present time:**

"Do you think I'm acting crazy?" Kate suddenly asked Jeanine as the movie ended.

"Acting crazy how?"

"For insisting Jack is alive?" She asked softly. "Am I going crazy?"

Jeanine shook her head. "Hardly, Sweetie…Crazy people never ask if they're going crazy…they think they're sane."

Kate chuckled and pushed a curl behind her ear. She knew that her in-laws and her mother were trying to help in the way they thought best, but she couldn't make them understand that she didn't want to hear any of their advice. She couldn't make them understand why it was that she believed Jack was still alive. Maybe that was because she couldn't really explain it to herself. It was just a feeling she had…something in deep down inside, not just her heart but in her soul. She had felt a connection with Jack Shepard from the moment she met him and that connection only got stronger with time. It was a bond that helped them to understand each other in ways that no other person in their lives beforehand had. It was a bond that made it easy to 'talk' to each other by merely looking into one another's eyes without having to say a word. It was a bond that was telling her to hang on and believe in their love…to keep the faith.

Jeanine reached over and dropped her hand on top of Kate's and gave it a squeeze. "It's Christmas, Kate. A time for miracles, so you hang on to your faith as long as you can."

"Thanks." Kate gave her a grateful smile. Unfortunately, their moment was interrupted by the bell of the front door.

Excusing herself she went to the foyer and opened the door. There standing in the doorway in a dark suit, with his blonde hair slicked back, a dimpled smile on his face and a poinsettia in his hand was her ex-boyfriend, Sawyer Ford.

"Sawyer, what are you doing here?" She asked, taken totally by surprise.

"Well, ain't that a nice Merry Christmas, Freckles." He greeted her cheerfully then before she could react he bent over and placed a kiss on her cheek.

Immediately Kate's hand went up to his shoulder and she pushed him back. "What are you doing here?" She asked again. "How did you even know where I live?"

"Can I come in? He asked sweetly.

"I'm not sure." Kate shot back. To say their split had been amicable would have been an exaggeration. Sawyer had cheated on her with one of her friends in their bed. The last time she had seen the southerner had been the day she told him to pick up his clothes from the front lawn where she had thrown them and leave.

"Aw come on Freckles, that was a long time ago. Can't we just let bygones be bygones and move forward?" He took a step towards the doorway but was stopped by Kate's hand to his chest. "Come on, you're not being a good hostess."

"I didn't invite you." Kate replied tersely.

"No, I did." Diane's voice called out from behind her causing the brunette to turn around in surprise. "Come on in." she told Sawyer who slipped by Kate as the young woman stood there looking to her mother for an explanation.

Diane gave the blonde man a quick hug and took the plant and his jacket from him. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Couldn't turn down such a nice invitation." Sawyer replied with a smile.

"Could somebody please tell me why he's here?" Kate asked in a raised voice. Since when did her mother get on friendly terms with her cheater of an ex-boyfriend.

Diane waved her hand in the air as if to try to make Kate's question a minor one. "I happened to run into Sawyer at the mall the other day and well, since he doesn't have family…"

"He has family in Tennessee." Kate corrected sharply.

Diane gave her a look as she hung up the young man's coat. "Since he doesn't have family here in L.A. I thought it would be nice to invite him to stop by."

Kate could feel the vein in her right temple start to throb, a sign that a bad headache was coming her way. "You invited him here without asking me first?"

"I didn't think you would mind, Katherine."

"You're kidding right, mother?" Kate replied sarcastically. "What would make you think I would want him here in my house…in mine and Jack's house, for Christmas, after what he did?"

"I am in the room by the way." Sawyer commented.

Kate turned and glared at him. "Don't say a word." She hissed, before returning her attention to her mother. "You shouldn't have done this, mother."

"Well, I did." Diane shot back. "It's Christmas and you can find it in your heart to be a little compassionate for someone who would otherwise be alone on this holiday. You're not turning him away, I raised you better than that."

Kate stared at her mother for a moment almost not recognizing her. They hadn't had the closest relationship since Kate had become an adult, but she couldn't believe that her mother would pull something like this. What the hell did Sawyer tell her to make her extend the invitation?

Before she could answer the woman Sawyer took a step forward and addressed Kate. "Look Freckles, I messed up, I know that. But I was hoping that by me coming here and apologizing, that you might be able to forgive me. I was stupid and a jerk and I deserved you kicking me out." He told her sweetly.

As Kate stood there looking at her ex, her eye caught a picture on the wall behind the blonde southerner of her and Jack on their honeymoon to Victoria, Canada. They were in a beautiful flowered garden sitting in on a bench, arms around each other and smiles on their faces. Realizing that in the end she had gotten the better deal by marrying Jack she nodded her head. "You can stay, but one wrong, misappropriate thing and you're out of here."

"Understood." He flashed his dimples. "How about a beer?"

"Oh, I'll get you a drink." Diane piped up quickly and went into the kitchen to retrieve a beer for their guest.

Kate led Sawyer into the living room and introduced him to her stepmother only saying that he was a friend from the past. Jeanine seemed to understand and offered Sawyer only a polite greeting.

_**Six days before:**_

_They had been walking for about an hour before the bearded one, Tom, finally started talking to Sam again. _

"_We found him and two other survivors on the beach at the north end of the island. They were badly injured and unconscious."_

"_How did they get there?" Sam asked. "The wreckage was about a 100 miles away from this area."_

"_There are some reclusive native tribes that live in these areas. Most of them aren't much for socializing outside of their own village. We figured that one of them must have come across the survivors and brought them here."_

"_Why?" _

"_Well, because we have the medically facility to help them. Much more than their tribal doctor could have done. They left them in an area that they knew we would find them since we do our fishing off the north shore."_

"_How's Jack?" Sam asked, hoping that Tom would verbally confirm that he was among the survivors._

_Tom let out a small sigh. "He was pretty banged up. Busted kneecap and some internal bleeding and Juliet had to take out his spleen." Tom explained._

"_But he's alive?" Sam asked, a feeling of elation starting to build through his body. Katie was going to be thrilled when she heard that she was right – her husband was in fact still alive._

"_Yeah, he barely survived the surgery. Was in a coma all this time up until about two weeks ago." Tom explained further._

"_Two weeks?" Sam was shocked. "But if he's been awake all this time, why didn't he try and contact us? Why didn't you call the authorities?"_

_Tom shrugged his shoulders. "We weren't sure who they were or what they were doing on the island."_

"_Doesn't matter, you guys should have called someone." Sam insisted. "You should have called for help."_

_Tom stopped walked abruptly and looked over at Sam when the rest of the group had also stopped. "Look, you gotta understand something. We're pretty sequestered out here and have been for several years. We don't have phone service and we don't get any real mail. We found some injured people and worked on saving their lives."_

"_You have no way of communicating with the outside world?" Bill Taylor asked._

"_We have limited communication with our people back at the headquarters office, but nothing on a regular basis."_

_Sam shook his head in frustration. "What aren't you telling us?" he asked Tom. "Why didn't Jack have you contact your people about getting him home?"_

_Tom looked away for a moment not sure how to answer. When he turned back he found himself staring straight into the barrel of a .45 Glock cocked and ready to go. His two companions also found guns pointed at them._

"_You got ten seconds to tell me what the hell is going on." Sam growled. "Ten…"_

"_Look…"_

"_Nine…."_

"_I'm not sure…"_

"_Eight…"_

"_Okay, okay. Your son in law didn't ask us to call because, first of all he doesn't know that we have some communication capabilities...and more importantly, he doesn't remember who he is." _

"_What the hell do you mean he doesn't remember?"_

"_That's just it," Tom insisted. "He came out of his coma not remembering anything but his first name and that's only because it was engraved on the watch he was wearing when we found him."_

"_That still doesn't explain why you did contact authorities? What about the other people you rescued?" Kevin Torrealba pointed out._

"_The other man died from his injuries and the woman is still in a coma. Juliet put her under to try and heal her brain injury." Tom said quickly._

"_My son in law…he have any kind of brain injury?"_

"_Juliet figured he must have received a blow to his head during the crash and that's why he's suffering the memory loss." Tom continued. "His knee was torn up really bad, but she's been treating it too. She's been taking good care of him."_

"_Take me to him." Sam ordered leveling the gun at his forehead again. "Now!"_

**Present time:**

"So, Freckles…motherhood looks pretty good on you." Sawyer commented as he watched Kate fussing over Sammy, after changing his diaper.

"Thanks." She replied with a smile. Sawyer had been here about an hour and hadn't managed to piss her off yet. Maybe it would be a nice holiday gesture to let him stay for dinner.

"Must be kind of hard trying to take care of him by yourself." He surmised.

Kate kissed the tip of Sammy's nose before putting him back in the crib. "My mom and Jeanine have been helping, so it's not so bad." She replied gently rubbing the infant's tummy.

Sawyer watched her for a moment before speaking. He had to admit she was still one of the most beautiful women he had been involved with. And standing there with an almost angelic smile on her face as she looked at her son, she looked even more beautiful.

"What?" Kate asked when she realized he was staring at her.

"You remember that trip we took to Utah? To that ski lodge in Provo?" he asked her.

"What made you think of that?" She asked with a laugh.

"I don't know, I was just thinking about how sexy you looked all decked out in your snow bunny outfit....and how much fun with had."

Kate frowned at his attempt to compliment her. "Well I remember how that trip was more for you to meet up with some guy that was going to set you up in a cigarette deal."

"Aw, come on Freckles, you can't say we didn't have fun." He flashed her a dimpled smile.

"Considering that you don't know how to ski."

"Didn't stop us from having fun at the lodge." He shot back.

Kate blushed at his insinuation and shook her head. "That was a long time ago."

"Come on, Freckles, I thought we were working on forgivin' and forgettin'"

"Sawyer, you cheated on me…and with someone that I considered a friend. Do you have any idea of that hurt? I was betrayed by two people that I cared about. And for what, a roll in the hay?"

"It didn't mean anything, Kate." Sawyer told her seriously.

"Yeah, I know, Saywer. I heard it before. It didn't mean anything to you, but it did mean something to me. We were living together, involved in what I thought was a serious relationship. But apparently, it wasn't like that for you since you had no problem bringing another girl into our bed!" She shot back at him. Okay, maybe the holiday gesture wasn't turning out to be so nice.

"I messed up." He admitted. "I know it. But it wasn't like it was planned, it just…"

"…happened, yeah, I know. Heat of the moment…Dina said the same thing." Kate took a deep breath and let it out. "But you know what? In the end I'm glad that it happened because I ended up with a great guy, who I know loves me completely and would never betray that love, and we have a beautiful baby boy. So really, Sawyer, for me, it worked out in the end."

Sawyer wasn't sure what to say at this point. Kate was standing there talking about her husband like he wasn't gone. Like she expected him to walk through that door at any moment. Diane wasn't kidding when she said Kate was having a hard time coming to terms with Jack's death. He decided not to mention any of that. "So, then we're okay? We can try and move past that?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's Christmas. We should just try and get along." She replied before slipping past him and out of the nursery.

_**Six days earlier:**_

_It was another hour before Tom and his two friends led Sam into their small community tucked away at the base of two mountains. There were several pre-fabricated houses side by side and what looked like a town square in the middle with a small gazebo. It was almost dusk so there were only a couple of people walking around. From the lights in the windows Sam guessed most of them were inside getting ready for dinner. _

_But the curiosity of a group of strangers, in military garb and armed, walking into their community soon got others out on their porches, mumbling, asking who these people were. _

_Tom waved at a couple of them trying to assure them there was no immediate danger. He fell into step with Sam. "There's a house at the end of this path where Jack has been staying. I'm not sure if he'll be there or with Juliet. They've become friends since he woken up. She's been helping him with his therapy."_

"_Would that include trying to get his memory back?" Sam inquired, still not trustful of these people or their motives for not trying to get help for Jack and the other survivors._

"_We'll need to check in with Ben before finding Jack." Tom announced, ignoring Sam's previous question. He wasn't sure he was ready to tell the sergeant that Juliet had become smitten with the handsome young man. Tom suspected that those developing feelings were keeping Juliet from pushing Jack's memory or the idea of him contacting anyone now that he was stronger physically. _

"_Who's Ben?"_

"_He's in charge of our group. We need to let him know you're here." Tom told him as he led him away from the direction of the house Jack was staying at and in the direction of another home. "It's just right over here."_

_A couple of minutes later Sam found himself standing before a short man, with glasses and thinning hair. While he may not have been large in stature, there was something about the way he stood that showed his confidence. Tom explained the situation and who Sam and his group were and why there were there. _

_Ben gave Sam a smile and extended his hand. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sergeant…"_

"_Austen…Sam Austen." Sam returned the handshake. "Now I hear that you have my son in law around here and I'd like to see him."_

"_A man that cuts to the chase, I like that." Ben smiled "I'm Benjamin Linus." He then turned to the side. "Tom, why don't you go look for Jack and bring him back here?"_

_Tom nodded and quickly left the room to complete his assignment. Ben meanwhile, offered his guests a seat and some water. They declined the drink._

"_What exactly is this place?" Kevin asked looking around the surroundings._

"_We're a research facility." Ben replied as he poured himself a cup of tea. "We've been conducting a series of long term experiments and tests."_

"_Rather remote aren't you?"_

"_Works better for our research. And actually there are a couple of small villages on the other side of the island. They leave us alone, but they're out there."_

"_Tom said there is another survivor, a woman?" Sam asked._

"_Yes, unfortunately, she hasn't regained consciousness." Ben replied sadly._

"_Tom said you had to put her in a medically induced coma." _

_Ben let out a sigh. "Yes, well, Juliet felt that was best given her head injuries. But I must tell you Juliet is not a neurosurgeon so her diagnosis is limited." _

"_Jack is." Sam replied._

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Jack is a neurosurgeon. His specialty is spinal surgery."_

_Ben raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? Well, I guess it's a shame he suffered the memory loss then."_

_Before Sam could reply the group was interrupted by the return of Tom, along with a tall striking blonde that was later introduced as Dr .Juliet Burke. And behind them, much to Sam's relief, was a hobbling, and very much alive, Jack Shepard._

"_Oh my god!" Sam said in a near whisper._

**TBC – Let me know what you think….**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: My million apologies for not getting this up sooner. You guys have been really great with your reviews and some even gave me some ideas that I've incorporated in the rewrites of sort. It's still not going to be a full blown out story, I'm sticking to the original overall plot which means it's close to being done. The appearance of "the others" are small to the overall story. They don't do much as you'll see from this installment. I just used them to put familiar faces to the characters that played in that part of the story. Enjoy!**

**Present time:**

Kate was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on her homemade apple pie…Jack's favorite. She always made it for him on his birthday and at least once a month just to let him know she loved him. She knew that probably sounded corny like something from an episode of '_Leave it to Beaver',_ but she didn't care – it made him happy.

She was lost in her thoughts when Sawyer came into the room carrying a couple of empty glasses. "Your mom sent me in to get some more egg nog."

Kate nodded and went to the refrigerator.

"You making a pie?" he asked surprised. "Since when do you cook?"

"It's baking," She corrected grabbing the glasses from his hand. "And since I was in junior high." She poured the egg nog into both glasses.

"How come you never _baked_ when we were together?"

"Because you were never one for desserts." She slapped him lightly on his flat belly.

Sawyer chuckled. "Well, that's true." He took the glasses from her and stood there watching her for a moment as she slide the pie into the oven.

"Quit looking at my ass." Kate told him without looking back.

He chuckled again. "So, Freckles, looks like there's a big New Year's Eve party at the Hilton."

"Hmmm…really?" She said distracted as she punched the settings into the oven. "I haven't paid much attention."

"Yeah, looks like it's going to be a good one. Live band, fancy dinner, champagne at the tables." He continued.

Straightening up Kate brushed her hands on the kitchen towel wrapped around her waist before pulling it off. "Sounds nice, I'm sure you'll have a good time."

Putting the glasses down on the counter he leaned over slightly in her direction. "I'd have a better time if you went with me."

Kate looked at him in shock, not sure she had heard right. "What?"

"Picture it…you and me ushering in the new year. What'd you say, Freckles?" he grinned at her.

"I'd say that you're nuts!" She replied hotly.

"Aw come on…" he tried to reach out and touch her, but she pushed his hand away.

"Don't" she warned as she walked wide around the counter to avoid him.

"Freckles, come on, you've been cooped up in this house too long."

"I just had a baby." She replied working on putting away the remaining ingredients from her pie.

"True, but you ain't dead. And your mom offered to babysit…"

Kate whipped around in a flash and looked at the southerner – her eyes blazed in anger. "My mother? You talked this over with my mother?" Her voice cracked slightly.

Sawyer realized that he had made an error in mentioning Diane, but it was too late. "Well, ahum…we both just thought that you could use a little distraction…"

Kate dropped her hands onto her hips and glared at him. "Oh really? And you thought a night with you would be just the thing, right?"

"Freckles…"

"Unbelievable." She barked cutting him off. "You know, even if I wasn't happily married, there is no way in hell, after everything we went through, that I would want to start thing up with you again, Sawyer. I. Don't. Trust. You."

Sawyer looked wounded for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Married? You know sweetheart, you need to start living in the here and now. Jacko is dead. He ain't coming back!"

SMACK! The red mark from Kate's hand was clearly visible on Sawyer's right cheek accompanying the stinging feeling on his face.

"Get the hell out of my house!!" She shouted, giving him a shove for good measure.

"Fine! Have it your way!" He stormed out of the kitchen into the living room where a shocked Diane and Jeanine were sitting along with the newly arrived Christian and Margo. Ignoring them Kate grabbed Sawyer's coat from the closet and threw it at the man as he made his way out the door.

"Forget you ever knew me!" She hissed before slamming the door shut. Brushing back her tears she made her way back over to the group marching right up to Diane.

"What happened?"

"This stops right here, right now, Mom."

"Katherine…"

Kate shook her head. "No, I mean it. I can't believe that you would go along with such a stupid idea. I knew I shouldn't have gone along with him staying for dinner."

Diane immediately knew what had transpired in the kitchen. "I just thought…"

"What did Jack ever do to you that would make you hate him? That would make you disrespect him like that?" Kate could feel herself getting more upset, the tears threatening to escape. "He's always been good to you; always welcomed you into our home."

"Sweetie, I don't hate him." Diane said softly.

"Then stop trying to make me act the way you want me to." Kate sniffled as she brushed away the tears. "Otherwise, Mom, you can leave right now…" she looked at the rest. "And that goes for the rest of you." And with that she retreated out of the room, her muffled sobs being heard as she ran up the stairs.

Diane started after her, but was stopped by Margo. "Let me talk to her."

_**Back on the island:**_

"_Jack." Same moved quickly and pulled the confused man into a hug. _

"_I take it you know me." Jack greeted tentatively. _

_Sam pulled back and looked at the others for a moment before returning his attention to the young man. "I'm your father in law, Sam Austen."_

_Jack looked at the older man in surprise. "I'm married?" he asked with an almost painful winced._

_Before Sam could say anything more Ben spoke up. "How about we all sit down, have something to eat and maybe take this slow?"_

"_Juliet and I just ate." Jack replied with a tone that indicated he wasn't too fond of Ben._

_Ben nodded. "Well, I'm sure Sgt. Austen and the rest of his men would like some dinner."_

"_We're fine." Kevin replied with an affirming nod from the rest of the soldiers. He, like, Sam, was weary of these strangers and not about to risk eating any of their food._

"_Well, then, " Ben clapped his hands. "I suppose we can make our way over to the meeting hall. There's more sitting there."_

"_No need." Kevin objected. "The only two that need to talk are Sam and Jack here. I believe they can do that some where private…like that house Jack's been staying at."_

_Ben glared at Tom for a brief moment knowing he had told their guests quite a bit before bringing them to this house. Sometimes he didn't know when to keep quiet._

"_That's a good idea." Sam spoke up then looked over at Jack in encouragement. "Son?"_

_Jack nodded and with the aid of a crude cane turned around and started out of the house._

"_I can walk you over." Juliet suddenly spoke up._

_But Jack waved her off. "I know my way over there." He replied leading Sam out of Ben's living room._

_The two didn't speak until they got to the small, one bedroom house that Jack had been living in since he woke out of his coma two weeks prior._

"_How bad is the knee?" Sam asked as he removed the rifle from around his shoulder and leaned it next to him against the couch._

"_Busted the knee cap and from what Juliet said, I tore some of the ligaments inside." Jack replied as he eased himself onto the chair next to the couch. "Most of it healed while I was unconscious."_

_Sam chuckled to himself._

"_What?" Jack asked._

"_You're a doctor, you know."_

_Jack raised his eyebrows. "You serious?"_

"_Yup. A spinal surgeon to be exact. And a pretty damn good one." Noticing the confused look on his face, Sam decided to start over. "How about we start with the basics?"_

"_Like my name?"_

"_Jack Matthew Shepard."_

"_Where was I born?"_

"_Los Angeles, California. In fact, you still live there."_

"_And I'm married?"_

_Sam nodded and broke into a smile. "To my daughter, Kate…and you have a son." He reached into a pocket in the front of his uniform shirt and pulled out a photo. "Here." He extended the photo to Jack._

_Taking the item Jack looked at it and took in a deep breath. It was her…the woman who had been haunting his dreams of late. The beautiful green eyed brunette that came to him in flashes when he slept, caressing his face with a smile, telling him everything would be okay._

_Sam noticed the look on Jack's face and felt encouraged. "She looks familiar to you?"_

_Jack didn't answer. He hadn't even heard the question. He was suddenly hit with flashes of scenes…of a memory. He and this woman…in Las Vegas, laughing and kissing each other…walking down the strip hand in hand…Jack standing behind Kate as she played a slot machine, his hands firmly on her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. _

"_We eloped to Vegas." Jack said in an almost hushed whisper shocking himself more than Sam that he remembered something._

_Sam broke out in a smile and nodded his head encouragingly. "You remember that?"_

_FLASHBACK: _

_Jack continued to stare at the photo. "We were laying in bed one night looking over menus for the wedding reception and trying to decide on the flowers when she just looked at me and said 'Let's elope.'" He chuckled to himself. "I thought she was kidding, but she wasn't. She just said let's go to Vegas, just you and me and get married in one of those cheesy chapels on the strip. She told me she didn't need the big, fancy wedding – she just wanted to be married. So two days later we were on a midnight flight to Vegas. I kept teasing her about getting married by one of those Elvis impersonators…some fat guy in a white sequined jumpsuit. But we ended up at the Little White Chapel, the one where all those stars from Hollywood get married. They have some of their pictures up on the wall…I remember she smacked me in the arm when I pointed out that some of those couples are divorced. Told me that we'd prove to be the exception." He looked up at Sam. "She's pretty amazing."_

_Sam's smile got even wider. "We've always shared that opinion."_

_Jack looked back at the picture and looked at the infant sitting back against Kate's chest, noticing the dark hair and small nose, his eyes dark brown…like his own. "This is my son." He stated in almost disbelief._

"_Samuel Jack Shepard." The older man said proudly. "Two months old and already proving to be smart."_

_Jack looked up again. "He's named after you?"_

_Sam blushed as he nodded. "Yeah, you guys thought it would be a nice idea."_

_Jack nodded as he pressed his lips together. "Well, considering you came here to get me, I'd say we made a good choice."_

_The older man laughed out loud as he slapped Jack on the back. "Sounds like you're back, son."_

_Rubbing a hand across the back of his head, Jack nodded again. "There are still a lot of fuzzy and empty spots."_

"_It'll come back to you. You probably just need to be around familiar things. You remember any medical stuff?"_

"_Only that I need to get some physical therapy on this knee." He examined this injury this time with a slightly more educated eye. "Looks like I'll probably need some clean up surgery too."_

"_Well, listen, how do you feel about getting moving and getting back home. If things work out right we might just make it for Christmas."_

"_Oh my god, I completely forgot. Kate was so excited about the holiday since it's was going to be the baby's first."_

"_She still is."_

"_Really?" Jack looked at his father in law in concern. "How is she doing?"_

"_Keeping her faith in you, son. She's never once believed that you were dead. Kept telling me that she would know…she would feel it if you were dead."_

_Jack smiled a little. He had to admit he was relieved to hear that she hadn't given up on him. 'I'll always have your back' was a vow she made on their wedding day and it looks like she meant it._

"_So, you think you're up to getting out of here?" Sam asked again._

"_Yes, sir." Jack replied firmly. He wanted nothing more than to get back to his life and his family. He handed the photo back to Sam, but the man refused._

"_You hang on to that until you can hold the real things again." He told the younger man. Standing up he grab his rifle again. "I'll go get the rest of the guys and let our host know we'll be leaving. You hang out here and wait for me."_

_Recognizing the authorative tone Jack didn't need to have his memory back to realize Sam was giving him an order, so to speak. He just nodded and watched the man leave the house. _

**Present time:**

A soft knock on the door came just a few moments after Kate had made her way into the nursery. Even though she wasn't in the mood she knew her mother wouldn't let up.

"Come in." She said softly and was surprised to see Margo come through the door.

Kate quickly wiped her eyes. "Hi."

"Hi." Margo made her way over and stood at the foot of the crib and looked at a sleeping Sammy. "How are you doing?"

"My mom didn't have a right…"

"You're right, she didn't." Margo agreed. "But she was only doing what she probably thought was right. She's worried about you."

Kate shook her head. "She wants me to act the way she thinks I should. I can't do that."

"I know. You firmly believe that Jack is alive…"

"and you all think I'm crazy for believing that." Kate finished.

But Margo shook her head. "I don't think you're crazy. I think that you're lucky."

Kate looked at her mother in law in shock. "What?"

"You and Jack have a very special love, a once in a lifetime. You should never give up on anything that wonderful."

"So, you don't think I'm fooling myself by believing he's out there somewhere?" Kate asked hopefully.

Margo gave her a smile and squeezed her arm. "No, I don't. I hope you're right. He's my only child and no parent ever wants to lose their child." She looked down at the baby. "I want him to be here raising his son and doing everything he's supposed to be doing."

Kate chocked up. "I miss him." She said softly. "So much."

"I do too." Margo pulled the young woman into her arms and let her cry on her shoulder. She comforted her daughter in law and Kate let herself cry for the man she loved and believed would come back for her.

A few minutes later Kate's breathing evened out and she pulled away, the tears over. "Thank you." She said meekly.

Margo brushed back the sides of Kate's head. "You're welcome. And honey, don't be mad at Diane for too long. She's was only being a mother and trying to keep you from being hurt. She's just going about it the wrong way, maybe."

Kate nodded and grabbed a tissue to blow her nose. "I know. I just wished she had chosen some other way than Sawyer."

Margo laughed. "Well, I think she's learned her lesson."

Suddenly Kate's hand flew up to her mouth as a thought registered. "I guess my little drama scene ruined dinner."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation as Diane stuck her head in. "Is everything alright?" She asked anxiously.

Exchanging a look with Margo, Kate nodded and Diane seemed relieved.

"I'm going to go check on Christian and Jeanine and let them know dinner will be on time." Margo announced before excusing herself from the room.

"I'm very sorry, Katherine." Diane said sincerely. "I wasn't trying to hurt you and I never wanted you to think I hated Jack in any way."

"I know you don't, I'm sorry I said that." Kate admitted with a small sniffle. "But Sawyer, mom? What made you think that would have ever been a good idea?"

Diane shrugged her shoulders and gave her daughter a small smile. "I was desperate?" She offered weakly.

_**Back on the island:**_

_Juliet knocked on the door to the house Jack was living in and nervously waited to be let in. He answered a moment later._

"_Hi," He said with a small smile and let her in._

"_How did it go?" She asked as she following him into the living room._

"_Good." _

"_You remembered something, didn't you?" She asked with a sound of dread in her voice that she tried to hide._

"_Bits and pieces are coming back." Jack told her. "I think maybe because Sam is familiar and he showed me a picture of my family that helped."_

_The blonde woman nodded. "They do say that being around familiar things can help somebody that's suffering from amnesia." _

"_Looks like it." _

"_So, you'll be leaving soon I guess?"_

_He nodded. "As soon as Sam can get everything together to go."_

_She nodded in disappointment. She was going to miss him. "Okay, then."_

_Jack hobbled over to the woman who had become a friend in the last couple of weeks. "Listen, I wanted to thank you for everything you've done. I mean, you saved my life."_

"_Hardly," Juliet said dismissively. "The natives that dropped you on the shore saved your life. I merely helped you recover somewhat."_

_Jack laughed. "Well, thank you, then, for helping me recover somewhat. I'm glad we became friends."_

_Juliet felt guilt wash over her as she fingered the small object in her jacket pocket. She knew he wouldn't think she was a friend when she revealed what she was about to. Her hesitation became obvious to Jack._

"_Juliet, is something wrong?" he asked concerned._

"_I…ahum…wanted to give you something of yours. Something I found on you when you first came here." She said quickly. "I had to remove it while we examined you and fixed your wounds." Slowly she pulled her hand out of her pocket and opened it to reveal a perfectly round gold band in her palm_

"_My wedding band?" He exclaimed recognizing it immediately. "You had my wedding band all this time?"_

_She nodded slowly. "Yeah."_

"_And just when were you planning on giving it back to me?" he asked angrily as he took it from her, fingering it._

"_Everything was crazy and when you woke up you didn't have any memory. We only knew your first name because of the watch you were wearing." She reminded him._

"_And you didn't think that maybe the ring might have been helpful to me?" He shot back. "There's an engraving inside the band…__**'Forever Yours…Kate. **__You didn't think that that could help me get my memory back?! "_

"_I'm sorry, Jack." She gasped as he reacted exactly how she guessed he would. _

"_Yeah, so am I" He replied hotly before grabbing his cane and making his way out of the house. She stopped him as he reached the porch._

"_Please, Jack, I never meant to hurt you."_

_He looked at her hard. "But you did. I trusted you and you kept this from me. Something that might have helped me remember who I was and where I belonged. Something that might have helped me get back to my family…to my son a lot sooner." _

_As he made his way off the porch he was greeted by Sam and his men along with Ben. Sam told him that they would be taking the other survivor with them since Ben told him she should be able to travel. The soldiers produced two military issued stretchers and Jack immediately balked saying he could walk. Sam would have none of it, reminding Jack his knee was still bad and it would slow the group down considerably if he tried to walk. More than anxious to get home the young man finally agreed and within 30 minutes the group was off heading for the north beach where they would radio Lt. Cronan for a pick up._

_Despite the lateness of the evening the group traveled for about three hours before they came up to the beach. Sam immediately pulled out a satellite phone and made radio contact with Lt. Cronan, who was waiting out on a naval carrier ship, The Georgetown. Confirming the GPS readings from the phone the Ranger lieutenant advised a rescue boat would be out at first light to pick them up. Sam also informed him they had only two survivors and both were in need of medical assistance. Now that most of Jack's memory had returned he was able to monitor the woman's condition with the assistance of Sgt. Taylor who had been a medic during his military service._

"_Well, looks like we're bunking down for the night." Sam announced to the group. "The Georgetown is sending out a boat at first light." _

_A short time later the men were settled down for a night on the beach with one of them quickly offering up to take first watch. Sam found Jack sitting on a piece of driftwood a couple hundred yards from the cam sight, his wounded knee stretched out in front of him. He was holding the picture of Kate and Sam._

"_Not up for sleeping?" he asked as he sat down next to the doctor._

_Jack shook his head. "I'm still getting flashes of memory."_

"_Well, that's good, isn't it?"_

_The younger man nodded in agreement. "I was remembering the day Kate told me she was pregnant. She wrapped up a rattler and a pacifier in this box," his hands mimicked the shape of a box. "She wrapped it in blue paper and put a pink bow around it..wasn't too hard to figure it out." He added with a chuckle._

_Sam let out a laugh. "Yeah, I still remember her phone call. I don't think I had 'hello' out of my mouth before she blurted out that I was going to be a grandfather."_

_**FLASHBACK**_

_Jack had just gotten home and the thing he wanted most was to jump in the shower and wash off the day. As he entered the front door he expected to find Kate in the livingroom or the the kitchen, instead he found a quiet house._

_Her car was in the garage so he knew she was home. Loosening his tie to remove it he made his way up the stairs to the master bedroom. "Kate?" he called out as he entered the empty room. "Are you up here?"_

"_Oh, you're home! Good." Her voice came from one of the other rooms. _

_Shucking his jacket and shirt onto the bed with the tie, he kicked off his shoes. "Yeah, I'm just going to jump in the shower. If you haven't started dinner yet, maybe we can order in." he suggested as he made his way into the bathroom and turned on the shower. _

_Ten minutes later when he came back into the bedroom, freshly showered with a towel wrapped around his waist he found his wife sitting on the edge of their bed grinning._

"_Hey, you." He smiled then bent down and planted a soft kiss on her lips. "How was your day?"_

"_Good. Yours?"_

"_Long." He commented as he made his way over to the dresser to pull out some jeans and a t-shirt. "I'm glad it's the weekend. I was thinking we could order Chinese?"_

"_Okay," Kate replied watching as he slipped on some boxers and jeans. She had been waiting for him to come home all afternoon. "Hey, I heard a riddle today."_

_Jack chuckled. "A riddle? Aren't we a little old for riddles?" he asked as he fastened up his jeans._

"_It's pretty good." She teased._

"_Okay, what's your riddle?"_

_She stood up and walked over to her side of the bed. "Well, what do you get when you cross a Shepard and an Austen?"_

_Jack looked over at her with a grin. "First of all you never want to cross a Shepard." He joked._

"_Very funny."_

"_Okay, okay, what's the answer? What do you get when you cross a Shepard and an Austen?" He asked as he slipped his t-shirt on._

_With a shy smile Kate intertwined her fingers. "Well, I don't know the exact answer yet."_

_He looked at her in surprise. "You're telling me a riddle that you don't know the answer too? Kate, that's silly."_

"_I didn't say I didn't know the answer. I said I didn't know the exact answer. It's one of two possibilities…either a boy or a girl." She let her words sink in._

_Looking at her again, he suddenly realized what she was implying. He quickly made his way over to her and softly cupped her elbows in his hands. "Are you…are we…?" he stammered in an almost whisper._

_She nodded as her eyes watered. "The doctor confirmed it this morning. 9 weeks." She replied back. _

"_Oh my god." He gasped before breaking out in a grin. "We're pregnant." He exclaimed as he slipped his arms around his wife and spun her around. Hugging him back she joined in his laughter. _

"_Wait, wait, I have something for you." She told him as he put her back down on the ground. Turning she pulled a box out of her night stand and handed it to him. It was a boxed wrapped in blue paper with a pink bow on it. "Open it."_

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

_Jack's face drew serious. "I can't believe I missed his birth." He said sadly. "We had just started taking the classes when…when this happened."_

"_It's not your fault son."_

"_I can't imagine Kate was too happy about going through that alone."_

_Sam shook his head. "She didn't go through it alone. I pitched hit for you and the family was there."_

"_Except for me." He whispered, still unable to shake the disappointment at missing the birth of his first son. It was an event he would never get back._

"_Look, Jack, you're alive, that's the important thing. And once Kate gets you back safe and sound nothing else is going to matter. You have a whole lifetime ahead to enjoy with your son." Standing up he patted Jack on the shoulder to comfort him. "Listen, why don't you try and get some sleep? It'll make morning come by faster."_

_A few hours later the rescue boat arrived and picked everyone up. The Georgetown was not only equipped with a modern medical facility, but it had a surgically trained medical staff as well. Jack had regained much of the details of his life and had examined the female survivor giving the doctor a short overview of her condition._

_Once they had her settled, the doctor examined Jack and agreed with his assessment that his knee would need additional surgery to clean up the damage. It was decided the surgery would be done on the ship to help speed up his recovery and avoid any further risk of infection._

_They arrived in port two days later and Jack was definitely getting cabin fever. The surgery had left his knee wrapped and he still walked with a cane, but it looked like the doctor had done a good job of cleaning everything up and repairing the damage. He had spent the rest of his time staring at the photograph of Kate and Sammy and trying to imagine how his life would be not to mention thanking the heavens for a second chance at that life. He might not have been too much of a man of faith before, but that had change since meeting Kate and then going through this whole experience. He came to believe there was a greater force out there, something in the comos, that caused things to happen, that just couldn't be explained away. Otherwise how could he explain everything starting with meeting Kate, the woman perfect for him on so many levels, to surviving a plane crash with a case of short term amnesia and an injured knee? Dumb luck didn't seem to cover it. _

_He watched from the deck as the naval crew efficiently and smoothly secured the ship during the final docking phase. They had arrived back in Sydney, Australia and it was already early Christmas Eve morning, which meant it was about two days before Christmas back home. Sam ad told Jack that Kate had decorated the house and had gotten a Christmas tree. He could almost see her sitting in front of the brightly lit tree holding Sammy, maybe showing him the colorfully wrapped gifts, telling him how next year they would make sugar cookies together. _

_He gritted his teeth in frustration wanting nothing more than to be inserted into that scene right then and now. The plane ride back to California was going to be long and torturous. The most he could hope for was no delays. That is if they could even book a flight…if they would even let him on the plane with no ID, having lost his wallet in the crash._

_His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of his father-in-law sporting a big gin. "Bet you're happy to see civilization again." He joked placing a soft hand on the other man's shoulder._

"_Yeah, but I'll be more happy when we're landing in LAX." Jack replied. "About the flight back…"_

"_We're not exactly landing in LAX." Sam revealed. _

"_Oh? So, you've already made flight arrangements?"_

"_Yes, sir. I pulled some strings and called in a couple of favors and got us a couple of seats on a military flight back to the states."_

"_You're kidding?"_

_Sam shook his head. "A hell of a lot quicker than trying to get you identity papers for a new passport. That could take days, especially with the holiday and it would mean having to contact the family to send the necessary paperwork."_

"_So, I don't need a passport?"_

"_Nope. U.S. military aircraft are not obligated to go through customs and we can flight a little faster than most commercial aircraft." Sam added with a wink. "We should be back home by Christmas Eve dinner."_

_Jack grinned and as Sam started to turn away he grabbed him by the arm. "You didn't call the family yet?"_

"_Nope, I thought I'd surprise Katie."_

**TBC – **

**Please let me know what you think!!**


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: __**Okay, I'm sorry for my lack of updates. School and work have been so time consuming!! I'm still writing, it's the typing of the update that is getting me bogged down. I have the next installment of Just The Two of Us written out – I hope to have it typed up and posted by this weekend (for those of you who are patiently waiting). **_

_**I hope that not all of you have abandoned waiting for an update for this story and enjoy this next chapter because it does contain the reunion… at least the first part. The "2**__**nd**__** half" is contained in the epilogue. **_

**CHAPTER 4 - **

_True to Sam's word a short few hours later the two of them were on a military transport plane heading back to the States. The ride was rougher than Jack was use to and the seats not as comfortable as a commercial jet, but he didn't care. All that mattered was he was on his way home to his family, to his beautiful wife and baby son, who he couldn't wait to hold for the first time. _

_As he sat strapped into the small cargo seat he reached into the pocket of the flight suit one of the pilots had loaned him back on the Georgetown, and pulled out the picture of Kate and Sammy. Staring at it he thought back to the day he had left and wished he had followed his gut and not gone on the trip._

_**FLASH BACK**_

_He stood in front of his suitcase and placed the folded shirts on top, adjusting everything so it all fit smoothly. _

_Kate came padding into the bedroom, carrying a bag, She was almost eight months pregnant and an old t-shirt of Jack's stretched over her protruding belly. _

"_I bought you some more shaving cream." She announced, holding up the bag. "The small travel size, along with some toothpaste and mouthwash."_

"_Thanks, honey." He watched as she put the items in his toiletries case. "Are you sure you're okay with me going?" he asked for what was probably the 15__th__ time in the last week since he found out he was tapped to go to a medical seminar in Sydney. He was replacing a senior surgeon who had gotten sick at the last minute. Originally he had turned down the offer what with Kate only 3 weeks away from her due date. But she, and her O.B. had convinced him that she and the baby would be fine reminding him that he'd be back with more than enough time for the birth._

"_It's fine." She replied in a less than convincing tone._

"_Kate, I'll call Robinson and tell him I'm not going." He said dropping his tennis shoes on the bed and reached for the phone._

"_Don't" She said quickly walking up to him and snatching his hands in hers. "It's too late for you to back out. Besides," she grinned, "aren't you the one that said the presentation on micro laser surgery was worth the trip?"_

_Her smile was infectious and he couldn't help but return it. "You know how annoying it is when you use my own words to win an argument?"_

_Her grin grew wider as she snaked her arms around his waist and he around hers. "That's what you get for being so smart and logical. It comes back to bite you in the behind."_

_Pulling her as close to him as her expanded belly would allow he planted a kiss on the tip of her nose. "I love you." He said softly._

"_I love you too…very much." She replied as she looked into his warm brown eyes that captivated her from the moment she first saw them. "We'll miss you though."_

_Reaching out to lovingly caress her stomach he nodded. "I'm going to miss both of you too. But I promise I'll bring back a stuffed koala bear for the nursery." He told her._

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

_He smiled as he thought about how he made sure they stopped at a toy store before they left Sydney. He glanced back at the bench next to him where not only a large stuffed koala was sitting, but a kangaroo as well. _

"_I'll be home soon, Katie." He whispered as he slipped the picture back in his pocket. "We'll have our family Christmas yet."_

_**PRESENT TIME:**_

"I'm really surprised that Dad hasn't called." Kate commented with a disappointed tone in her voice. "It's not like him to blow off the holiday, especially when he had to take off so suddenly."

I'm sure we'll hear from him by tomorrow." Jeanine replied confidentially as she handed the young woman a plate. Dinner was over and the two had volunteered to get dessert while the dotting grandparents played with Sammy, who was up from a nap.

"I hope so." Kate replied as she cut a piece of pie and placed it on the plate. "Do you know anything more about this mission? I mean, is it dangerous?" she asked full of concern.

"I don't believe so." Jeanine said. "But you know your dad, doesn't talk much about these things…everything is always classified."

The young brunette nodded and frowned. "Whatever he's suppose to get must be pretty important if it took him away at Christmas…especially this Christmas." She added in a whisper.

Jeanine impulsively placed a light kiss on the side of Kate's head and gave her a brief hug. She was hoping against hope that Sam's 'mission' proved successful. "From the little he said, it's very important." She told the young woman.

With a small smile Kate picked up two of the plates and the two returned to the rest of the group. They found that Sammy was getting fussy and squirmy again. Kate quickly took him out of Diane's hands and brought him up to her shoulder, patting his back and cooing softly in his ear. Snuggling against his mother's shoulder Sammy started to calm down a little.

Christian smiled. "Well, looks like he just wanted his mother."

Kate nodded. "I think it's almost time for him to eat."

"Do you want me to hold him while you have your dessert?" Margo offered.

"Oh no," Kate shook her head. "You go ahead and eat. I've gotten pretty good at eating with one hand."

The conversation resumed between the adults and true to his mother's word about the time they were done with the pie Sammy started fidgeting again, indicating he was hungry. Excusing herself, Kate retreated to the bedroom to nurse the baby.

As she watched him suckle she thought about the fact that tomorrow was Christmas Day and Jack wasn't going to be there. And now it looked like her father wasn't going to be there either. She felt a tear trail down her cheek and fall on Sammy's fuzzy haired head.

While she wasn't a strongly religious person, she did believe in a higher being and had been brought up attending church when she was younger. "Please God, "She said softly as she caressed Sammy's cheek. "Please bring Jack home safe to us. We need him. His son needs him."

During Kate's absence the other four had continued their conversation. With Kate out of the room Diane decided to inquire about Sam's disappearance. "Do you have any idea when Sam is planning on returning?" She asked Jeanine.

"Nothing specific, otherwise I would have already told Kate." Jeanine replied.

"This is ridiculous! I can't believe he even took this mission, not when he knew how hard this holiday was going to be for our daughter!"

Jeanine shook her head feeling herself getting defensive. "He didn't do this to hurt Kate."

"Of course not. Sam never means to hurt anyone on purpose. He just has to put the damn army ahead of his family, just like he always has." Diane complained.

"Sam's not putting anything ahead of his family!" Jeanine snapped back.

"Oh really? So why hasn't he called? Why hasn't he taken the time to call his daughter and explain why he isn't here helping her cope with her husband not being here on Christmas?" Diane shot back trying to keep her voice low.

Christian quickly cleared his throat and announced a change in topic. Explaining that he and Margo had planned on attending Midnight Mass he asked if they would like to join them. Before either lady could reply Jeanine's phone rang. Pulling it out of her purse she saw Sam's name in the caller ID and got excited.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Look, don't say anything that it's me." He answered quickly.

"Okay." She cupped the receiver and looked at the others. "I need to take this." She announced before walking into the den off of the living room. "Okay, I'm away from everyone. Where are you?"

"Where's Katie?"

"In the bedroom feeding the baby." She replied in a whisper. "Sam, where the hell are you?"

"I'm in front of the house." He replied.

"What? Why don't you just come in?"

"Because I have a special package for Katie and I…"

"You found Jack?!" She exclaimed in a loud whisper.

"I don't want to ring the bell, honey. Just come open the front door." He instructed.

A moment later the front door swung open and Jeanine found herself staring at both her husband and her step son-in-law. "Oh my God!!" She squealed and threw her arms impulsively around Jack and gave him a big hug. "You're okay! Oh my God!"

Her squeals caught the attention of the other three in the room who quickly made their way to the foyer so see what was going on. The three stopped in their tracks taken by surprise by the sight of a living and breathing Jack standing before them.

"Oh my God, Jack!" Margo was the first one to react as she covered her mouth in surprise at the sight of her son. A moment later she was wrapping her arms around him and giving him a hug. "You're…we thought…oh my God!" She was sure what she was saying as she started crying.

"I'm okay, Mom." He said softly as he hugged. "I'm survived the crash and I'm home."

Nodding she pulled back to let Christian greet him. The older Shepard man pulled his son into a bear hug as tears glistened in his eyes. His son was alive and here – it was the best Christmas gift he could ever ask for. "You hurt your knee?" He asked noticing the cane.

"It's healing fine." Jack replied with a sigh. "I'll be fine."

Jeanine, smiling at the reunion between father and son, made her way over to her husband and gave him a kiss. "So, I see you found him." She smiled broadly.

"Yup, right where we thought he'd be." Sam replied with a matching smile.

Diane looked at her ex-husband in surprise having realized now what his mission really had been and why he had taken off so suddenly. "This is why you left like that?" She asked.

He nodded. "We had gotten some information about possible survivors, but hadn't been sure it was Jack, so I went to check it out."

"And why didn't you tell us?"

"Because if the information had been wrong or the worst had happened Katie would have been devastated and I couldn't let her go through that again." Sam explained calmly.

"Hey, what's all the commotion…OH My GOD!!" Kate had walked back into the room and stopped cold in her tracks at the sight before her. There standing in front of her in a military flight suit was not only her father, but…her husband, alive and well, and grinning at her like crazy. "Jack?" She asked tentatively, almost afraid to say his name out loud in case it was a dream.

"I'm home Katie." He nodded his head and before he could say another word Kate ran up and flung herself into his arms holding him in a fierce hug. "Humpf…" Dropping his cane he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair breathing in the familiar scent of her ginger body lotion. "I'm home." He whispered again.

Kate felt the tears come and she let them. He was home. Jack was home safe and sound just like she had wished for earlier in the evening. Nothing else seem to matter as she hung on to her husband feeling his strong arms wrapping her up safe and secure – like he always did. She had missed that feeling so much in the last three months and now that she had him back she wasn't going to let him go so easily.

But Jack had other ideas as he gently pulled back a bit enough to look at her face. He broke into a big grin. "I missed you." He said softly before capturing her lips with his and giving her the most passionate kiss he could muster. The world seemed to stop for them at that point. Two lovers reunited; their hearts and souls whole again, wanting nothing more than to lose themselves in each other's kiss.

A moment later they broke apart and let their foreheads touch oblivious to the parents of the two that had witnessed the emotional reunion with tears in their eyes. Kate reached up and caressed Jack's cheek. "You need a shave." She teased.

He chuckled. "What? You don't like the scruff?" He teased back knowing full well that Kate thought his usual light scruff was sexy.

Suddenly she pulled back further and brought her hand to her mouth. "Wait, there is somebody that you need to meet." She told him. "He's been every anxious to meet you." She turned around to go to the nursery when she saw Margo holding a drowsy Sammy in her arms.

"He's right here." Margo said cheerfully as she gently handed the child over to Kate who turned and shyly took a step back over to Jack.

She bent down and kissed Sammy's cheek. "Hey, sweet pea, look it's daddy." She said lovingly. "Daddy's home and he wants to meet you."

Jack watched as the infant slowly opened his eyes recognizing her voice and kicking his feet slightly at the sound. She turned back to Jack and smiled warmly at him. "This is Sammy." She announced as she turned the baby slightly towards him. "This is your son."

Jack felt himself catch his breath. It was one thing to see the baby in a picture, the picture he still had in his pocket. But now here he was standing there staring at him his son and he felt overwhelmed. The love he was already feeling for this child washed over him like a warm blanket and it felt amazing.

"Would you like to hold him?" Kate asked softly.

He nodded then bent down and picked up the cane. "Let me sit down." He told her as he started to walk slowly to the couch. It was then that Kate noticed his injury for the first time.

"Oh my God, Jack, what happened to your leg?" She asked alarmed.

"It's okay. I hurt my knee pretty bad in the crash, but they did surgery on the island and again on the naval ship. I'm going to be fine." He told her quickly, trying to ease her concern.

"Surgery on the island?" Margo spoke up before Kate could. "What island?"

"How about we give Jack some time with his family and I'll fill you in?" Sam suggested and quickly ushered the rest of the group into the kitchen to give them details of Jack's ordeal.

Grateful Jack nodded at his father in law as he sat down on the couch and stretched out his leg, glad to have the weight off of it. "Okay." He held out his hands and slowly took the baby into his arms. After a couple of seconds of shifting him around in his arms he was set. Jack looked down at him with a smile as Sammy looked up at him, his dark brown eyes big in wonder.

"Hey, buddy," He said softly. "I'm your dad." He told him noticing with delight as Sammy kicked his legs. "Yeah, that's right, I'm your dad. I'm sorry I missed the first couple of months of your life, but I'm here now and I'm going to be here for you for the rest of my life. I promise you." He proclaimed to the baby, his eyes glistened with tears.

Kate felt her eyes water up too at the sight she had been longing to witness since she gave birth. Going to the cabinet she pulled out the camera and turned back to Jack with a watery smile. Seeing that his attention was completely wrapped up in Sammy she aimed the camera and quietly took the photo. She would print it out and frame it later for his desk at work.

After putting the camera away she joined her "boys" on the couch leaning up against Jack's side as she caressed Sammy's pajama covered foot with her fingers.

"He's beautiful, Kate." Jack told her as he watched his son coo and gurgle at the ticklish sensation of Kate's touch on his toes.

"I know," She replied with a grin. "Can you believe he's ours?" She asked as she watched the baby let out a yawn and stretch out his arm. It was definitely passed his bed time, she thought.

Jack shook his head and a brief frown crossed his face as he looked at his wife. "He doesn't know me." He announced sadly.

Kate looked at him in surprise and felt a wave of empathy for him. Of course it was going to be hard for him to deal with missing out on the first two month of his son's life. But none of that really matter anymore. He was finally home and that was what was important and he needed to realize that.

"Of course he knows who you are." She said firmly. "Babies have a sixth sense about people and he knows that he's in the arms of someone who loves him very much and who is going to love and protect him for the rest of his life."

"But he doesn't recognize me." Jack replied back still not convinced.

"He's a baby, Jack. He's still getting all of that recognition stuff down." She leaned over and placed a kiss on his shoulder cap. "Besides, I told him all about his parents. How we met…everything about our dates and our wedding…"

"Everything?" He asked with a mischievous grin.

Kate returned his grin and felt her cheeks pink a little. "I gave him the G rated version, okay?

"Good. Wouldn't want Sammy to know his mother's a nymphomaniac." He teased as he gently rocked the baby.

"Me?"

"Who couldn't keep her hands off me on our second date?"

Kate's raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And who was it that suggested, on our third date, we blow off the restaurant and have pizza in bed instead?"

"Don't recall you turning down that suggestion." He pointed out.

"Only because you looked so hot in that maroon shirt, how could I say no?"

As they laughed the two looked down and noticed that not only was Sammy asleep, but he had curled himself in against Jack's chest and his cheek was resting firmly against his father's chest. He looked peaceful and secure.

Kate broke out into a smile. "See…he knows exactly who you are." She said softly.

At that point the parents came back out of the kitchen and joined the happy couple. After a few more minutes of reassurances that he was fine, Christian and Margo departed for the church mass after getting the kids to promise to stop by the next day. Diane had decided to join them since she felt that Jack's safe return had been nothing short of a miracle that needed to be celebrated.

She went and hugged her daughter before leaving. "I'm so happy for you, honey."

"Thanks Mom."

She leaned closed to her ear. "And if you need me to babysit on New Year's Eve, I'm available."

Giving her mother an extra squeeze she nodded. "We'll keep that in mind." She replied with a smile, knowing that it was her mother's way of trying to apologize again for the whole Sawyer incident.

Leaving Jack on the couch with the baby Kate walked her mother and in-laws to the front door and saw them depart. After, she returned to the living room where her father and Jeanine had sat down. Impulsively, she bounced over to her father and threw her arms around the man, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you for making this the best Christmas ever." She told, with a grin that reminded Sam of her as a 7 year old thanking him for the bicycle he had given her that year.

"You're most welcome, honey. I'm just glad it all worked out." He replied returning her smile.

Releasing her arms she slipped onto the arm of the loveseat next to him. "But I don't get why you didn't tell me what you were doing…that you thought that Jack was alive."

"I had to make sure it was true before I would get your hopes up." He draped an arm around the brunette. "There was no way I was going to let you believe he might be alive and then have to tell you it wasn't true."

Looking over at Jack Kate smiled. "I always knew he was alive." She stated confidentially. "And I was right."

Jack returned her gaze for a moment enjoying being able to see those emerald eyes that he fell in love with the first time he saw them. Sammy stirred in his arms catching Jack's attention. Shifting the baby smoothly up to his shoulder he started to push himself up off the couch

"I think this little guy needs to be put to bed." He announced.

The three other adults stood as well. "I'm sure the same can be said about his father." Jeanine said with a chuckle. "We should be going, Sam."

Turning to his father-in-law Jack extended his free hand out. "I know I already thanked you on the boat, but I don't think I can ever repay you for this."

Sam shook his hand then pulled Kate into a small hug with his other arm. "You just keep my daughter and my grandson happy and safe and that's all the repayment I need."

Jack nodded solemnly. "I intend to do just that."

* * *

_**A/N: Okay, so we have Jack back home safe and sound. I do have one more chapter, an epilogue of sorts. Mainly Jate fluff – Jack and Kate by a warm fire and the Christmas tree happy to be back together. **_


	5. Epilogue

EPILOGUE:

The soft glow from the fire in the fireplace mixed with the tiny lights on the Christmas tree to cast a soft glow around the room. Kate draped her arm over Jack's bare chest and snuggled further under his shoulder and the big, fluffy comforter wrapped around them. They were laying on the floor in front of their couch propped up against the bottom panel.

"Hummm…" She hummed softly as Jack's fingers brushed up and down her arm. "I missed you. I missed this."

"Me too." He kissed the side of her head gently.

She dragged her fingertips in lazy circles on his chest. "Well, for somebody that was out of commission for 3 months nice to see you haven't really lost a step."

He looked down at her with a smirk. "Oh yeah?" He broke into a bigger grin when she nodded. "I can say the same for you." He teased. "You know, we have a lot of lost time to make up for."

She nodded. "Ah huh," She poked him lightly in the chest. "And you have a list of honey do's that piled up, mister."

He looked at her shocked. "You're kidding, right?"

She shook her head. "Nope. The gate in the backyard needs to be tightened up and the garage still needs to be cleaned out – that one corner and you promised to buy and put up a swing set…."

"Unbelievable," He sat up a little straighter. "I come back from the near dead after 3 months and you want me to put up a swing set?"

Kate looked at the surprise look on his face and giggled. "Well, you did promise…and you always keep your promises." She told him before reaching up and laying her hand on his cheek to guide his face back down. "You promised me this Christmas was going to be extra special and it is." She whispered before capturing his lips with hers. He deepened the kiss relishing every moment of being with his wife again. As he lowered her to the floor he vowed to himself that he would never leave her or Sammy again.

** **

_(Later) _

Kate, wearing one of Jack's t-shirts and barefooted, stepped lightly down the stairs and back into the living room. With a grin she made her way back over to the makeshift bed and slipped back under the covers. Jack slipped his arms around her from behind and pulled her back into his chest.

"Sammy, okay?" He asked leaning his chin on her shoulder, his arms wrapping around her waist.

Kate reached up and placed her hands over his. "Yeah, he just needed a diaper change."

"Well, next time I'm up."

She shifted slightly so she was facing him sideways, intertwining her fingers with his. "Shouldn't you be getting your rest?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine, Kate, really, I am. And I want to help with Sammy. I want to spend time with him."

Kate broke into a big grin. "Okay, Daddy, you're down for the 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. feedings." She teased. "But I've got to warn you, he can be extra fussy at the 4 a.m. feeding. I don't think he's an early riser."

"Probably going to like sleeping in like his mom." Jack teased back.

She swatted at his hands. "I get up early. I just enjoy sleeping in late when I can. Everybody does." She defended herself.

With a little chuckle Jack tightened his hold on her and kissed her shoulder. "It'll be Christmas morning soon, can you believe that?"

"24 hours ago I didn't think you were going to be here for our first family Christmas." Kate said softly, her voice laced with emotion. She laced her fingers through the fingers in one of his hands and clasped tightly. "But here you are, safe and sound. I couldn't ask for a better Christmas gift."

Jack felt his throat welt up for a moment and he swallowed hard. He felt the same way. Hell, a little more than two weeks ago he was still trying to figure out who he was and how to get back to the real world. He had no idea, at the time, that he had a family waiting for him to come home. "Me neither." He said in a near whisper.

Rubbing her thumb softly across his fingers she let out a sigh. "So, you really didn't remember anything about who you were?"

"Not really. I mean, I knew that my name was Jack because it was inscribed on the back of the watch I was wearing when they found me." He admitted. "We figured some time during the crash I must have hit my head and caused some sort of limited trauma to the temporal lobe…where your memories are housed."

"We?"

He nodded. "Juliet and I."

Kate stayed quiet for a moment. "She's the doctor on the island?"

"Yeah, she specialized in obstetrics, but she ended up having to treat me and the other two passengers. The other guy died a day or two in and the woman, like I told you earlier, is still in the hospital, but looks like she should pull through. I don't know how much, if any, brain damage, she may end up with. Her doctors won't know until she wakes up. I'm lucky, that's for sure."

Kate nodded in agreement, knowing full well that but for the grace of God, he could be the one still in the hospital, unconscious, with his family around praying for him to wake up. "So, is she pretty?"

"Who?" He asked confused.

"Juliet. The doctor that saved your life, is she pretty?"

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, I guess. She kind of reminded me a little of Sarah when I first saw her."

That was not something Kate really wanted to hear, that the woman he spent two weeks with on a tropical island, looked like his ex-wife. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, but personality wise she was nothing like Sarah."

"Oh, you mean, she wasn't a spoiled, bitchy liar?" Kate spit back. There was definitely no love lost between her and the first Mrs. Shepard. The one and only time Kate had come in contact with her Sarah had been cold to Jack and almost condescending to Kate. Kate in turned had made it clear that she and Jack were happily married and that she would be eternally grateful to the other woman for giving up a man like Jack so easily.

The incident with his wedding ring flashed through his mind at that moment. "Actually, in the end she did surprise me by telling me that she had had my wedding ring the entire time I was there."

"What do you mean she "had" your wedding ring?" Kate slid up to a sitting position and faced her husband.

"She took it off of me when she was first treating me. And for whatever reason she hung on to it and didn't tell me until the day your dad showed up." Jack's voice indicated the betrayal he still felt that this woman he had come to think of as a friend had keep such an important piece of information from him. She just hadn't seemed like that kind of person. She seemed a little more genuine and less self serving than the others, especially their leader Ben.

Kate frowned at his statement. As a woman she had a sneaking suspicion of what might have happened. She was well aware that her husband was a very good looking and charming man that women found attractive, even if Jack himself could be unaware of it most times. That's one of the things she loved about him – how unassuming he could be. Despite his affluent upbringing and prestigious job, Jack was a regular, down to earth guy who refused to hold himself above others. And this woman, this Juliet, probably got to know him during those two weeks and probably hoped things would develop into something more.

"What's wrong, Kate?" Jack's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

Kate bit her bottom lip. "Jack, be honest with me. Were you and she…I mean, was there something more there?"

His brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you 'something more'?

She waved her hands briefly in a flutter. "I mean, you know, she saves your life, and you don't have your memories, so you don't know you're married…and you're on an island away from the real world…." She looked down at her lap as her voice trailed off.

Jack pushed himself up a bit higher, the blanket falling down to his lap in the process. "I didn't cheat on you, Kate." He said firmly.

Even though she didn't expect he would have, she was glad to have it reaffirmed. "I know you wouldn't. But I mean, if you were attracted to her and she was to you…"

Jack quickly reached up and crocked his finger under her chin, pulling it up until her eyes meet his. Her emerald eyes showed the anxiousness she felt at the idea that he might have fallen for another while he was away from her. "Nothing happened between us." He said softly.

She nodded but didn't say anything.

"Juliet and I did become friends, but that was it. And you're wrong about me not remembering you."

She looked surprised. "But I thought you said…"

He nodded. "Yeah, I had amnesia. But after I woke up from the coma, I started having these dreams." He pulled his hand from her chin and lightly stroked her cheek. "This beautiful woman with brown curly hair and these amazing green eyes would come to me and kneel by my bed. She'd hold my hand." He reached over and took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips. "And kiss it and promise me that everything was going to be okay."

Kate broke out in a small smile realizing what he was saying. He had been dreaming about her even when he didn't remember she was his wife.

"I may not have realized who she was, but that angel in my dreams got me through a lot. She gave me this sense of peace and brought me hope that I would get out of there." He tilted his face down to hers until their lips were almost touching. "And she was right…everything turned out okay." He made the final move to kiss her, and was surprised when Kate pulled back.

"Did you really dream that or are you just trying to make me feel better?" She wanted to know.

He looked at her with a serious look in his eyes. "I wouldn't lie about something like that. I mean, when your father showed me that picture of you and Sammy he carries around I got a little freaked because I realized that you were the girl in my dreams. And then all the memories started to come back…"

Satisfied with what he was telling her she leaned forward and gave him a kiss which he returned eagerly pulling her back down onto the blankets. After breaking for air, Kate reached up and lovingly stroked his cheek. "This is definitely one of the best ways to usher in Christmas morning…"

"But….?" Jack added, sensing there was something negative coming up.

She gave him a warm smile. "But…" She dragged a finger from his temple to his cheek slowly. "I don't know how many more years we can keep up this tradition. I mean, Sammy will probably be walking by next Christmas and I'd hate to think of him walking in and finding mommy and daddy asleep, naked, under the blanket."

Jack laughed before snuggling in and placing a kiss on her neck. "Well, weren't you the one that told him all about us, our dates…our…"

She swatted his arm. "Not everything! He definitely doesn't need to learn that his parents have sex under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve."

Jack settled back against the pillow and tightened his embrace around his wife. "I don't think that's something we have to worry about in the immediate future, Katie. He's only 3 months old."

"I know, but we're parents now. We have to think of these things." She replied seriously. "We may have to think of another tradition."

"Hummm….or we could just modify this one."

Kate tilted her head up to look at him. "Like how?"

Bending down he kissed her lips. "I've got a couple ideas."

She waited a moment but he didn't say anything else. "That's all I'm going to get huh?"

"Yup."

Readjusting her head back on his chest she let out a small sigh. "Fine. Keep your wife in the dark then." She pouted

Before Jack could do anything else but chuckle at her comment they heard a soft cry come from the baby monitor on the end table next to them.

Kate slipped out of Jack's embrace and grabbed her pillow and hugged it. "Looks like you're up, Daddy." She teased as she laid her head down. "There's a bottle of milk in the refrigerator. Make sure you heat it up in the microwave for two and half minutes."

"I got it." Jack replied confidently as he slipped on his boxers and made his way into the kitchen opting not to use his cane. Truth was he was nervous about his first try at feeding his son, but he wasn't going to let Kate know that.

After warming the bottle of breast milk as Kate instructed he made his way up the stairs, missing Kate's grin as he took the stairs two at a time forgetting about his knee in his quest to get upstairs. He could hear Sammy getting fussier by the minute as he thought he was being ignored.

Entering the dimly lit nursery he found his son letting out a loud cry, kicking his feet in frustration. "Hey buddy," Jack leaned over the crib. "I'm here, it's okay." He soothed as he placed the bottle on the table next to the crib and gently scooped Sammy up in his hands. As Sammy continued to cry, Jack checked his diaper and found it wet.

"Looks like you need a changing." He told the child as he placed him on the changing table. Removing the soiled diaper and dropping it into the diaper genie next to him, Jack keep eye contact with his son as he reached for a fresh diaper. "You know you're lucky, I not as green as you're figuring I would be at this whole diaper, feed and burp routine you've got going with your mom." As he talked softly he effortlessly cleaned and powered Sammy's little bottom. "When your dad was in his residency I had to do a rotation in pediatrics and the nurses in the NIC unit always made sure that the residents got their hands wet, so to speak." He reached over and secured the tapes on the diaper before sweeping the baby up in his arms. "See? That wasn't so bad, huh?" He asked as Sammy looked at him with big chocolate eyes.

Eyeing the rocking chair Jack grabbed the bottle of milk and hobbled over and sat down. A moment later he was gently rocking back and forth as Sammy happily suckled on his bottle. As he watched his son Jack reflected back on the last few months of his life. He had survived a plane crash and he had made his way back home. And now as he sat there holding his son, with his loving wife dozing downstairs under the twinkling Christmas tree, he knew he had never had a better Christmas.

_**** 3 years later *****_

It was Christmas Eve and Kate, now 9 weeks pregnant, snuggled into her husband's warm embrace, as the thought of her secret waiting to be revealed in a small wrapped gift, with Jack's name on it, downstairs. Inside a rattle wrapped in swirls of pink and blue ribbon and a little note attached that read "Guess What?"

She was looking forward to Christmas morning with her growing family. Sammy, now three years old, had reached the age where he made Christmas fun for his parents. His younger sister, Olivia, was almost a year and half and having learned to walk spent her time chasing after her older brother.

Kate smiled to herself as she thought of how excited the children were for Christmas to arrive. Their excitement at going to see Santa a couple of weeks earlier had only been matched by Jack and Kate's excitement at watching Sammy with his arm around his baby sister protectively as they sat on the jolly man's lap and listening to him tell Santa that he wanted a "tie sikle" and a puppy for Christmas. Their excitement had turned to delight at hearing Sammy explain to Santa that his sister couldn't really talk that well, but she would like a doll and a stuffed teddy bear too. The photo taken that day had been framed and quickly placed on the mantel next to the picture of Sammy with Santa Claus taken the previous year.

Kate had shopped until found him what she thought was the perfect blue tricycle, but it was Jack who had surprised her when he came home earlier that day with the news that there was a German Shepard puppy staying at her father's house for the night until the morning when Sam would bring it over and surprise Sammy and Olivia.

"Penny for your thoughts." Jack's soft voice, edged with sleepiness, broke into her thoughts. He planted a light kiss on her temple.

Running a finger in lazy circles on his chest she smirked. "I was just thinking about tomorrow and the look on Sammy's face with he sees his new bike…" She paused for a moment, "and the puppy."

"You think I'm spoiling him?"

Cranking her neck up to look at him she dragged a manicure finger across his jaw bone. "I think you're just being a good daddy." She told him lovingly. "You want the kids to have a great Christmas."

He nodded, his face taking on a serious look. "I want them to have a good childhood. One that they'll look back on happily when they're grown."

Sighing Kate laid her head back on his shoulder and gave his a squeeze. "I know. I want that too."

Reaching for her hand, Jack let his fingers intertwine with hers. "You're a great mom, Kate. You've been amazing with the kids."

She shot him an appreciative smile. "You too. Sammy can't go to sleep without a bedtime story from you. And Livvy…she's definitely turning out to be a daddy's girl."

Jack chuckled. "She does have me wrapped around that little finger of hers, doesn't she?"

"They both do." Kate shifted again, this time pulling herself up to lean on her husband's chest. She brought her face close to his. "And their mother is pretty impressed with you too."

"Oh yeah?" he asked looking into those green emeralds that he knew so well.

"Yup." She placed a light feathery kiss on his lips. "I still can't believe you brought me my own Christmas tree." She giggled, referring to the tree that was sitting in the corner of their master bedroom beautifully decorated with twinkling lights and a mixture of store bought ornaments and handmade ones that Jack got Sammy to help him with the previous week.

"Well, you were worried that we wouldn't be able to keep up our Christmas Eve tradition and I wanted to make sure we did."

"I'm sure you did, considering what's in it for you." She joked, giving him another kiss that lingered for a moment before she pulled back. "It really was a sweet thing to do…and clever. I never suspected."

"That's me, clever." Jack replied teasingly.

Dropping her head to plant a kiss on his neck, she nodded in agreement. "Clever…and sexy…and sweet…and sexy…" she mumbled as she kissed him. "I'm a very lucky woman."

Pulling her tight against him, Jack kissed her. "I think I'm the lucky one in this deal." He insisted. "I'm the one with the beautiful, smart, amazing and ultra sexy wife."

Locking eyes with him she broke into a grin. "Flattery like that is going to get you everywhere, Dr. Shepard."

Returning her smile he turned her and pushed her into the blankets on the floor. "Just as long as it's with you."

THE END

**A/N: There it is the end of this story. Finally!!! I hope you guys enjoyed it and didn't think it was too corny. **


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